2008 Woodie Awards
OK Go lead singer talks tour, dance
Diane Poelker
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: TruLife
Diane Poelker: Hi Damian, this is Diane from the Index newspaper at Truman State University.
Damian Kulash: Hi Diane, nice to meet you.
DP: Nice to meet you, too. Did you have a nice holiday?
DK: Yeah, we had a good time, but it wasn't much of a holiday. We played a show in London, and while London is lovely, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving there. No turkey, although they have Christmas sandwiches that are turkey and cranberries, no stuffing, but I got to have something akin to leftovers.
DP: You guys have been kind of busy in the last year, but I noticed on your Web site that you've taken a break from touring in the past few months - what have you all been up to?
DK: We've been playing a few shows, like coming to Truman. We recorded an EP with a trombone band from New Orleans. It's mostly songs from our last record but played all on trombone and then a couple of covers.
DP: That's a little different twist than what you guys normally do - it's usually pretty rocked out and dancey. What inspired you to do the trombone album?
DK: It's a benefit for an old soul god from New Orleans named Al Johnson - who basically wrote the theme song to Mardi Gras - and the long, public battle trying to get the rights to it in the last 10 years. And of course, by the time he got the rights to the song, his house was destroyed in Katrina, and he's been living in exile in Houston, and like thousands of musicians from New Orleans, there's really no way to get back. The musical culture of New Orleans is dying quick, and that's sort of the most beautiful part of that city. So, we got together with this New Orleans, basically like a soul band. ... What happened was I went to go play a benefit show with them, with me singing and them playing, and it was just such a magical fit that we decided that we should record it. I remember talking to them on the phone beforehand, being like, "You guys can choose whatever songs you want. Let's do sort of the quieter side. We'll do something really like soulful and mellow," because I'm used to playing with a really loud rock band. And they were like, "We are a really loud rock band." And I sort of chuckled to myself thinking, "Ah ha, they're funny." But they actually really are a really loud rock band. So we recorded this five-song EP and it will be out, I believe, in February. ... It's a nice little project getting off the tour - getting back into the studio to record stuff without the pressure of having to be like the next round of songs.
Damian Kulash: Hi Diane, nice to meet you.
DP: Nice to meet you, too. Did you have a nice holiday?
DK: Yeah, we had a good time, but it wasn't much of a holiday. We played a show in London, and while London is lovely, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving there. No turkey, although they have Christmas sandwiches that are turkey and cranberries, no stuffing, but I got to have something akin to leftovers.
DP: You guys have been kind of busy in the last year, but I noticed on your Web site that you've taken a break from touring in the past few months - what have you all been up to?
DK: We've been playing a few shows, like coming to Truman. We recorded an EP with a trombone band from New Orleans. It's mostly songs from our last record but played all on trombone and then a couple of covers.
DP: That's a little different twist than what you guys normally do - it's usually pretty rocked out and dancey. What inspired you to do the trombone album?
DK: It's a benefit for an old soul god from New Orleans named Al Johnson - who basically wrote the theme song to Mardi Gras - and the long, public battle trying to get the rights to it in the last 10 years. And of course, by the time he got the rights to the song, his house was destroyed in Katrina, and he's been living in exile in Houston, and like thousands of musicians from New Orleans, there's really no way to get back. The musical culture of New Orleans is dying quick, and that's sort of the most beautiful part of that city. So, we got together with this New Orleans, basically like a soul band. ... What happened was I went to go play a benefit show with them, with me singing and them playing, and it was just such a magical fit that we decided that we should record it. I remember talking to them on the phone beforehand, being like, "You guys can choose whatever songs you want. Let's do sort of the quieter side. We'll do something really like soulful and mellow," because I'm used to playing with a really loud rock band. And they were like, "We are a really loud rock band." And I sort of chuckled to myself thinking, "Ah ha, they're funny." But they actually really are a really loud rock band. So we recorded this five-song EP and it will be out, I believe, in February. ... It's a nice little project getting off the tour - getting back into the studio to record stuff without the pressure of having to be like the next round of songs.
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